ComicCritic's New 52 AWARDS - Part 1

[ComicCritic]

Hello fellow CBF's (Comic Book Fans),

It's been awhile since the DC New 52 reboot.

I thought that I would share my personal ratings, and hand out my own, "ComicCritic's New 52 AWARDS".

I did not read every book, so there is not a review for every title, only the ones that I thought would appeal to me.

THE USUAL SPOILER ALERT! IS IN EFFECT.

THE FLOPS
I thought these would be good, but they were truly awful.
These stunk so bad, I dropped them after one or two issues.

Hawk & Dove - It just wasn't interesting. I first read about them in Brightest Day, Darkest Night.
So, I gave them a chance. It just felt like the they had the worst writing team at DC on this one.
This one gets my BIGGEST STINKER OF THE NEW 52 AWARD.

Captain Atom - Too much like Dr. Manhatten from Watchmen. I see he was just on the latest "Young Justice: Invasion" episode.
I have no idea where this guy came from, but he should go back, NOW!


Black Hawks - These guys had almost all the elements for a good Black Ops squad.
But, again, the stories were terrible, and they have been cancelled by DC.


Swamp Thing - I tried to get into this, but it just not my speed.
It's very British, which is cool for them. I think it still has lots of fans.
They tried to invent a whole Animal Man/Swamp Thing universe, but it failed.



THE COULD'VE BEENS
These had potential and I hung in there for a long time.
But, they never got going, and I am dropping them.

Stormwatch - The gay characters were a turn off for me.
It's not that they HAD gay characters, it was the "In your face!" crap that stunk this one up.
I mean I started reading it for The Martian Manhunter, and found some of the other characters to be interesting.
The guy that talks to cities is pretty cool.
But when the two bodybuilders start playing slap-tickle, I'm out.
It's ok if you like it. It's just not for me.

Fury of Firestorm - Can anybody explain this convoluted storyline to me?
First there's one firestorm, then two, then two that make one.
Then, there are a bunch more that are bad firestorms.
And now, there are dozens more good, foreign firestorms?
I just wanted to see Ronny and Jason form the single, Super-Nuclear-Firestorm and kick butt.
But, it hardly ever happens, so this one is a drop for me, after 8 issues.
This one gets my BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE NEW 52 AWARD.



THE ALREADY GOOD
These ones are proven winners and are on most peoples Pull List.

ACTION - Look! Up in the Sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's a dangerous alien that we should all fear and loathe!
Who's dating Lois Lane? I don't know but, it ain't Superman nor Clark Kent!
I was a bit apprehensive that they would send the DC anchor completely off the rails, but it's been a good ride, so far.

Superman - OK. Let's tie the alien to a chair, hold his eyelids open, and make him watch "Robot Chicken" until he snaps!
Yeah! That's a good idea! (sic)
After a rocky start, Big Blue is starting to settle down into the mild mannered, omnipotent, super-hero we all love.

Justice Leage - We are thrown into action immediately, with Batman and Green Lantern meeting for the first time
during a pulse-racing, rooftop battle with sky police!
Batman is not impressed with Green Lantern's smug attitude. The rolling quips are hilarious and greatly entertaining.
It all comes to a screeching halt when they come across Supes for the first time.
"I'll handle this!", GL says and sails right in.
BAM! BOOM! (You can guess the rest!)
This one gets my BEST FIRST ISSUE OF THE NEW 52 AWARD.

Batman - Poor Bats takes a pounding from the Owls!
If JL was the best first issue, then "Batman: Court of Owls" rolling straight into "Batman: Night of the Owls" have got to
be the BEST FIRST STORY ARC(s) OF THE NEW 52.
If you're not reading this title, you are not a true CBF.
Can I get an AMEN?!

Green Lantern - And the first Green Lantern we see is..... Sinestro? That's right! And, after 8 issues, Sin is STILL a GL!
There are a bunch of us who are chomping at the bit to see when, where, and how Evil Red will show his TRUE color!
Playing Hal Jordan like a yo-yo, Sinestro drags him across the stars, for his own, self-centered reasons.
We all know he is going to slip back into his old ways. It's the suspense that's killing us! (And, keeping us reading!)

Green Lantern Corp - Guy Gardner and John Stewart share this title. Guy is his usual egotistical and rebellious self.
So, of course, The Gaurdians are going to promote him!
But, the real story, so far, is what happened when John and some other GL's were trapped.
One of them was going to give out the location of OA.
DID YOU SEE WHAT JOHN DID! HOLY CRAP!
This one gets my BIGGEST SHOCKER OF THE NEW 52 AWARD.


THE PAR OR SUB-PAR
These ones are good, for the most part.
They still have my attention, but for how much longer?

Aquaman - Geoff Johns has elevated the story line.
And, as Creative Chief at DC, he gets the best art talent, as well.
In this case, it's Ivan Reis who teamed up with Johns on the Blackest Night masterpiece.
The story is OK, could be better. The art work is fantastic!
I'll keep buying this as long as Geoff writes it and the art stays amazing.
What it really needs is something more compelling.
If anyone can find out what it needs, its Johns.
I give this one to Ivan Reis, THE BEST ARTWORK OF THE NEW 52 AWARD.

Green Lantern: New Gaurdians - Kyle Rayner's book.
Kyle gets kicked out of the GL's and forms his own posse of "playas" from the rest of the emotional spectrum.
That makes for good-looking art here, as well.
I'm not sure where this story is going. It seems to be fizzling out.
Come on, guys! Let's pump up the volume on this title!

Red Lanterns - This one started out with a bang! We find Atrocitus, leader of the RL's, fighting with his
troops over leadership. He gets tired of their mindless babble and throws Bleeze into the Blood Ocean to
improve her cognitive abilities. Was that really a good idea? Hmmmm.
But, of late, it has been intoducing us to a new, human RL. I'm getting bored.
Where's the beef? I mean.. Where's the rage?

Legion Lost - Some Legionaires get caught back in our timeline and can't get back 'cuz Flashpoint did something to
block their return. What was it? I don't know. But, they are here to stay (Apparantly. Anyways, just go with it.).
This one is trying my patience. They haven't closed any loose ends since it started.
The Legionaires thought to have died in the time travel, didn't.
The reason they came back was to chase a criminal, but they haven't caught him.
Is this title going anywhere? I see now they want to arc with Teen Titans, but can they please close the loose ends, first?
This one gets my IT SOUNDED LIKE A GOOD IDEA FOR THE NEW 52 AWARD.

Flash - Another one from Geoff Johns, it also has a fair storyline and really amazing artwork.
But, for the Fastest Man Alive, the story sure is dragging its feet.
How many issues does it take for a ship to sink (or fall, or breakup, or... I don't care anymore.)
Not one of Johns best tales. But, I have faith in him. I will give him more time to win me over.
But, for the Flash, time is relative!

Superboy - Forget Superman's childhood. Forget the Conner Clone. This one is different. VERY different!
This one is also a clone, but he is not happy with how he was created. And, he is PISSED!
He has none of those Smallville values to temper his god-like powers, so don't cross him.
At any moment, he may save the day, or crush his enemies to dust!
Forget mercy! This one wins my YOU'VE GOT MY ATTENTION NEW 52 AWARD.

Supergirl - Due to some travel issues, on her way from Krypton to Earth (Damn you, TSA!), Kara arrives here to find that her
cousin Kal-El, who she used to babysit, is now older than her! Much confusion insues. I mean, what the hell, right?
So, kinda like the new Superboy, she is also a loose cannon. But her first storylines are much better, IMO.
She, almost immediately, is challenged by a Kryptonian Super-Weapon! It wants her to join it, or it will destroy her.
This all too much for our sweet Kara and she has to learn to use her powers (Are they the same, or different?), very quickly.
I'm still pulling this title.

Wonder Woman - OK, let's tweak Hera and see if she jumps. Not wise! This title has a good storyline that takes WW into the
bowels of Hades. And, speaking of the old boy, that's a really good look for you! (If you've seen Hades, you know what I mean.)
Our heroine may have "tendencies" (Was that almost-nude scene in issue 1 really necessary?), but this title does not slap you in
the face with their gender preferences. So, it's acceptable. And, not just because they are women.
It's because they only hint, and we all know. It's like Lightning Lass and Shadow Girl (Is that the right couple?)
It's OK if they are, just don't waste a page of panels with slap-and-tickle. But, I'm off-topic, here.
This one gets my CREEPIEST VILLIAN OF THE NEW 52 AWARD, for Hades. Well done!

(Continued in thread "ComicCritic's New 52 AWARDS - Part 2)

[El Sombrero]

I agree that Hawk and Dove was really, really bad. "DC should not have published this" bad.

Geoff Johns is not writing the current Flash title, Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato (the art team on the book) are.

You should have just made a second post in this thread instead of creating a new thread for "part 2."

[Rakzo]

Yeah, you sound like a critic all right.

[Badger1701]

ComicCritic, your Captain Atom comment suggests you were unfamiliar with the character prior to the new 52. Captain Atom was the inspiration for Dr. Manhattan.

[doordoor123]

Your awards seem pretty noobish. Instead of giving awards why not just give you opinion? Thats all these awards are anyhow.

[batmanjones]

I almost stopped reading when the OP said Swamp Thing was British and a flop and that DC tried to create a Swamp Thing/Animal Man universe and failed. Obviously none of those things is true.

I stopped reading for good when I hit the backward-minded homophobic stuff about Stormwatch. I guess this is a kind of "soft" anti-gay bigotry that is still socially acceptable. The same thing happened with racism or biracial dating and marriage. ("Do whatever you want, just keep it out of my face.") As society changes, people will come to know more GLBT and all but the die-hards will stop "disapproving" of them for being who they are. And society is finally moving wonderfully quickly on this civil rights issue all of a sudden. I only read Stormwatch #1 and I was bored so I didn't go back, but the OP's statement was sufficiently off-putting that I didn't feel like reading the rest of what he wrote.

[IpponDropkick]

Man, how in the world was stormwatch in your face about being gay? It's certainly no more in your face than nightwing is about being straight.

[ArnoldoAAD]

Hello fellow CBF's (Comic Book Fans),

It's been awhile since the DC New 52 reboot.

I thought that I would share my personal ratings, and hand out my own, "ComicCritic's New 52 AWARDS".

I did not read every book, so there is not a review for every title, only the ones that I thought would appeal to me.

THE USUAL SPOILER ALERT! IS IN EFFECT.

THE FLOPS
I thought these would be good, but they were truly awful.
These stunk so bad, I dropped them after one or two issues.

Hawk & Dove - It just wasn't interesting. I first read about them in Brightest Day, Darkest Night.
So, I gave them a chance. It just felt like the they had the worst writing team at DC on this one.
This one gets my BIGGEST STINKER OF THE NEW 52 AWARD.

Captain Atom - Too much like Dr. Manhatten from Watchmen. I see he was just on the latest "Young Justice: Invasion" episode.
I have no idea where this guy came from, but he should go back, NOW!

Black Hawks - These guys had almost all the elements for a good Black Ops squad.
But, again, the stories were terrible, and they have been cancelled by DC.

yeah Hawk and Dove was bad but i would consider other books like Static or Hawkman as the BIGGEST stinker in the new 52

some one mentioned it but yes Captain Atom was the inspiration for Dr Manhattan
but i agree, it still doesnt justify it, they always have been completely different characters and this title is a a complete train wreck

Swamp Thing - I tried to get into this, but it just not my speed.
It's very British, which is cool for them. I think it still has lots of fans.
They tried to invent a whole Animal Man/Swamp Thing universe, but it failed.

and thats the first red flag right there

how the hell is this "very british" like
you know Snyder is not british right?

also both Animal Man and Swamp Thing are 2 of the highest acclaim books of the relaunch
you honestly cant call yourself the "ComicCritic" and not give a deepest analysis on why you think these fail other than "they are british like"

THE COULD'VE BEENS
These had potential and I hung in there for a long time.
But, they never got going, and I am dropping them.

Stormwatch - The gay characters were a turn off for me.
It's not that they HAD gay characters, it was the "In your face!" crap that stunk this one up.
I mean I started reading it for The Martian Manhunter, and found some of the other characters to be interesting.
The guy that talks to cities is pretty cool.
But when the two bodybuilders start playing slap-tickle, I'm out.
It's ok if you like it. It's just not for me.

ok
this one will have an interesting follow up
*grabs popcorn*

Fury of Firestorm - Can anybody explain this convoluted storyline to me?
First there's one firestorm, then two, then two that make one.
Then, there are a bunch more that are bad firestorms.
And now, there are dozens more good, foreign firestorms?
I just wanted to see Ronny and Jason form the single, Super-Nuclear-Firestorm and kick butt.
But, it hardly ever happens, so this one is a drop for me, after 8 issues.
This one gets my BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE NEW 52 AWARD.

basically firestorms are nuclear weapons and they are hunting random terrorist

think 24, but with superheroes

Flash - Another one from Geoff Johns, it also has a fair storyline and really amazing artwork.
But, for the Fastest Man Alive, the story sure is dragging its feet.
How many issues does it take for a ship to sink (or fall, or breakup, or... I don't care anymore.)
Not one of Johns best tales. But, I have faith in him. I will give him more time to win me over.
But, for the Flash, time is relative!

...
Johns has nothing to do with this book
its being written by Francis Manapul and Brian Bu..(whatever you spell his last name)

[Jim Thompson]

Captain Atom - Too much like Dr. Manhatten from Watchmen.

I find this sort of amusing, since the inspiration for Dr. Manhattan was Captain Atom.

[FHIZ]

I'm going to suggest there probably shouldn't be a part 2 to this thread...

[CTpitch]

gotta love new readers. This is what the comic industry is struggling to get more of

that swamp thing comment and the stormwatch comment was just.... WOW

[ComicCritic]

Me regarding Stormwatch: "It's ok if you like it. It's just not for me."

Me regarding Wonder Woman: "this title does not slap you in the face with their gender preferences. So, it's acceptable."

Your namecalling: "Noob" and "Homophobic"

Who is the intolerant one here?

Why is it, when it comes to an important social topic, like race or sexual preference, some feel the need paint people as either politically-correct, or the other extreme, a racist or a homophobe?

I have no problem with gay characters in comics, or elsewhere. I just don't like watching their intimate moments and I will not pay money to see it.

I'm sure that DC understood that, when they did it. I say that they have every right to do it. But, they must have known that they would alienate some readers and cause some controversy (Maybe to stimulate mature and constructive discussion?)

Apparently, I'm not the only one that was alienated, as sales for Stormwatch have sunk 21%, from 31,095 in December to 24,384 in March. (Source: Comic Chronicles)

[ComicCritic]

To everyone else who replied, who agreed, disagreed, made suggestions, corrections, or pointed out facts, I thank you!

[weshes195]

Me regarding Stormwatch: "It's ok if you like it. It's just not for me."

Me regarding Wonder Woman: "this title does not slap you in the face with their gender preferences. So, it's acceptable."

Your namecalling: "Noob" and "Homophobic"

Who is the intolerant one here?

Why is it, when it comes to an important social topic, like race or sexual preference, some feel the need paint people as either politically-correct, or the other extreme, a racist or a homophobe?

I have no problem with gay characters in comics, or elsewhere. I just don't like watching their intimate moments and I will not pay money to see it.

I'm sure that DC understood that, when they did it. I say that they have every right to do it. But, they must have known that they would alienate some readers and cause some controversy (Maybe to stimulate mature and constructive discussion?)

Apparently, I'm not the only one that was alienated, as sales for Stormwatch have sunk 21%, from 31,095 in December to 24,384 in March. (Source: Comic Chronicles)

Well, the homophobic thing depends on a few things: if you can watch a male and a female kiss and touch each other inappropriately, then you should be able to see that with homosexuals. If you can't, I won't call you a homophobic; however, I WOULD call you a full out hypocrite. Same thing with people who would not see the classic movie Brokeback Mountain, yet they are willing to see a movie with a woman straddling a man.

Also, the gay thing in Stormwatch most likely barely changed the sales, it was most likely things like the writing (some are disappointed with Cornell) or MM not being who they wanted him to be, etc...

Of course, this is all my two cents, so you could just completely ignore this.

[Dr. Hurt]

It's just that you're a new member and yet you make a new thread where you give the comic books awards. State your opinion, we'll accept it just fine, but it's the way you went about it. We're currently having numerous polls and discussion threads over the various DC books. I suggest you join us for a talk.